Ayanna Woods raises funds to capture ten years of songwriting in the studio, Fulton Street Collective hosts an exhibit of photos by four jazz musicians, and more.
Tag: Nick Mazzarella
Posted inMusic
Finding ways to play through the pandemic
Chicago improvisers Tim Daisy and Matt Piet have responded to the challenges of COVID by learning new ways to record alone.
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A eulogy for Danny’s Tavern
For decades, Danny’s nurtured a devoted and welcoming community of music lovers—but it couldn’t survive the pandemic.
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The Hyde Park Jazz Festival takes it to the streets
With short sets from small groups in unexpected spots, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival creates a communal experience that’s pandemic safe.
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Reunion Chicago, Slo ’Mo, and Open Television throw a three-night virtual Pride party
Reunion Chicago, Slo ’Mo, and Open Television throw a three-night virtual Pride party, Brent Gutzeit of TV Pow assembles a massive compilation to benefit the fight for racial justice, and more.
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Photos: The Hyde Park Jazz Festival
The south side’s own world-class jazz fest played host to dozens of shows and more than a hundred musicians.
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Saxophonist Hunter Diamond debuts four free shows’ worth of new material at the Whistler
Saxophonist Hunter Diamond debuts four free shows’ worth of new material at the Whistler, Matthew Rachman Gallery opens a new exhibit of Wesley Willis’s artwork, and more.
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Trumpeter Russ Johnson dances along a fine line
Wisconsin trumpeter and composer Russ Johnson strikes a perfect balance between mainstream and vanguard.
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Guitarist and soul singer Isaiah Sharkey drops a kaleidoscopic new record
Guitarist and soul singer Isaiah Sharkey drops a kaleidoscopic new album, black metal takes on the Fantastic Four, and more.
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Natural Information Society make the stage a home—and vice versa
Joshua Abrams and Lisa Alvarado of Natural Information Society help give the Chicago collective’s transcendent minimalism a family feeling.
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Tim Stine changes the complexion of his idiosyncratic improvisations in a quartet with saxophonist Nick Mazzarella
Over the last couple of years one of my favorite working bands has been a knotty trio led by guitarist Tim Stine, with bassist Anton Hatwich and either Frank Rosaly or Adam Vida on drums. Both rhythm sections bring a deliciously teetering and coolly swinging energy to Stine’s improvisations, which recall the early work of […]
Posted inBlogs
Improvisers Keir Neuringer and Makaya McCraven find different ways to use the studio as a creative partner
Philadelphia reedist Keir Neuringer and Chicago drummer Makaya McCraven each shape improvised raw material into thrilling compositional tapestries, albeit with very different sounds.
Posted inBlogs
Clarinetist Ben Goldberg and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt highlight this weekend’s Hyde Park Jazz Festival
The 11th annual installment of the south-side jazz summit is typically packed with strong bookings.
Posted inMusic
The strengths of the annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival are highlighted by two poignant, inventive duos
One feature of the Hyde Park Jazz Fest that has quietly distinguished it over the last few years is the prevalence of dynamic duos, whether the pairings are new or seasoned, improvised or driven by tunes. Notable among this year’s terrific offerings is the first local performance by alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella and cellist Tomeka […]
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Saxophonist Nick Mazzarella changes gears within jazz tradition on the Meridian Trio’s debut
Alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella is one of the city’s most focused improvisers, a fervent student of jazz history and a staunch adherent of avant-garde tradition. He’s not a conceptualist. He likes form, function, and resolution, so at times he appears conventional within the context of Chicago’s shape-shifting jazz and improv scene. But with the release […]